The European Union (EU) has blocked Austria’s proposed ban on social media use by children under 14, insisting that member states should wait for a common European law before introducing separate national restrictions.
The decision, announced on Thursday, means Austria must put its proposed legislation on hold for 12 months while negotiations continue on a bloc-wide framework to regulate children’s access to social media.
Under EU rules, member states must notify the European Commission of proposed national legislation to ensure it complies with existing bloc regulations. Austria had submitted plans to prohibit children below 14 from using social media platforms.
However, the European Commission said it would delay national laws that overlap with the proposed EU-wide regulations.
“The commission has decided to postpone for 12 months any draft national laws overlapping with the future harmonised rules,” EU spokesman Thomas Regnier said.
EU Seeks Common Social Media Age Restrictions
The decision follows the European Commission’s proposal last month to restrict social media access for children under 13, while allowing limited and supervised access until the age of 15.
Brussels believes separate national restrictions could create inconsistent age limits across member states and undermine efforts to establish a unified regulatory framework.
The Commission is also concerned that countries with existing national restrictions may have less incentive to support or implement the proposed EU-wide legislation.
“We need to now focus on the negotiations of the EU Kids Act and to ensure an effective enforcement of our rules,” Regnier said.
The Commission hopes EU member states and the European Parliament will reach an agreement on the proposed legislation within the next few months.
Austria Questions EU Decision
Austria had urged the EU to accelerate negotiations, warning that it would ensure its proposed social media ban could take effect immediately after the 12-month delay.
Reacting to the Commission’s decision, Austrian Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler said he could not “fathom” why Brussels had decided to put the proposal on hold.
Vienna “intended to protect children from the daily harm caused by social media companies, and this is not something that can be postponed”.
France and Greece Face Different Circumstances
The EU decision may not affect all member states equally.
France’s proposed legislation, which the Commission asked Paris to revise, is not expected to be blocked because the country notified Brussels of its plans before the EU-wide proposal was introduced.
Greece has also been able to pass its own restrictions because its legislation was drafted before September.
Regnier declined to say whether France would eventually be prevented from implementing its national legislation.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has yet to issue decisions on proposed social media restrictions by other member states, including Italy and Slovakia.
The developments come amid growing European efforts to regulate children’s exposure to social media, with the proposed EU Kids Act expected to shape a common approach across the bloc.
